If you're deciding on which version of Spider-Man 2 to buy, do yourself a favor and stay the heck away from this one.
The story is majorly underdeveloped and doesn't follow the movie very well. The introduction clip for this game is actually an excerpt from a cutscene that appears partway through the console versions of this game. So right away, you don't know who is who or what's going on. Now, understandably, Doc Ock can't be the only boss in the game, or else the scope would be narrow and length of the game would be short. So to spice things up a bit, they added in three other bosses and included levels and missions to go along with them. As in the other versions, this game includes the recognizable villains Rhino and Mysterio. However, the first mistake in this game comes in when the producers decided to substitute Puma for Shocker. Puma? Sure, he's been in the comics, but only comic-reading geeks would know about this short-lived character in the Marvel universe. And yet when Spider-Man encounters him in the game, he exclaims "Puma?!" as if you can remember him from the previous movie-based game.
In addition to this mishap, Doc Ock (the main villain in the movie, mind you) is introduced in the beginning, but appears only a few times throughout the game with little interaction. At times, you become so engrossed in the secondary plots that have nothing to do with the movie that you even forget Doc Ock exists. Not enough emphasis was put on him until the very end of the game, and even then, the final boss fight was a turn-off just like the other ones.
As I've said before, the PC version of Spider-Man 2 is badly planned out. The controls must have been the last thing the programmers worked on, and apparently they were pressed for time. You use the W, S, A, and D keys to move and strafe, the space bar to "dodge" (which isn't very useful in the heat of combat, which isn't hot at all), but to fight and jump you click the left and right buttons on your mouse! As for swinging, which is probably the most exciting, original part of any Spider-Man game, you also use the simple point-and-click system developed by the boneheads in charge of making this game. There are these little web-shaped icons mysteriously floating in the air near buildings that you can aim at and click your mouse to swing back and forth through the air in the same motion for hours on end. You also move your mouse to rotate the camera and aim, which contributes to the list of mistakes for Spider-Man 2 and affects the gameplay significantly. You may be given a big city to roam around in, but the New York that you're given is empty, lifeless, and is divided into several sections that require a loading screen to get to. You'll also frequently find yourself fighting the same group of thugs numerous times.
The graphics are pretty average compared to what can be seen on any modern PC game. Besides Spider-Man himself, all the main characters, enemies, and bosses have a boxy appearance with faces that seem to be painted on. Movements such as walking, running, fighting, jumping, and even cars speeding away from the scene of the crime seem to be somewhat unnatural. Even the buildings and skyscrapers aren't that detailed. You may be told that you're swinging through New York, but it doesn't look like it. The sound is pretty average too. The entire city is dead silent, characters barely talk at all, and the background music is quiet and rarely plays. The voices are clear and understandable, but the acting is bland. In addition, the sound of Spidey's fists punching an enemy in the face sounds like someone is smacking a mattress, somewhat killing the combat experience.
There is nothing special about Spider-Man 2 for the PC that could possibly influence me to recommend buying it. And the fact that the bad outweighs the good 3 to 1 renders this game unworthy of a rent. This version deserves no praise whatsoever, although it is a little fun playing it through if you already own it. I recommend the slightly better PS2 version over this one. Do yourself no harm; walk away from this game immediately.
Score: 4.2
Grade: D
Preference: Bad